A L V 



procurers of tlie Rtformatlon, had excited a veiy general dif- 

 latisfaction among his i'ul.jcas in the Low Countries ; and 

 thcrtfore, in 1567, he detcrmintd to find the Duke of Alva 

 wiih aa army to i-oinpcl the difcontciiud to fubmit to his 

 will, and to puiiilh iheni for their difobediencc. No [lerfon 

 could be a litter inftrunient for the execution of his purpofe. 

 The duke not only approved, but advifed and reeoniincnded, 

 hoftilc meafures. Notwithllandiuj; the renionllranccs of the 

 regent, the Duchefs of Parma, Philip perfiftcd in his pur- 

 pofe ; and theDiike of Alva, with a confidcrable armv, di- 

 refted hi'; march to the Netherlands, and, after garrifouing 

 the frontier towns, proceeded to Biuffels, where he arrived 

 in the month of Auguil, A. D. 1567. His arrival fpread 

 great conftcrnation and adonifhment over all the provinces. 

 Many thoufand perfons had before this time left the eonntiy, 

 among whom was the Prince of Orange, who would gladly 

 have prevailed upon Count Eguiont to accompany him. But 

 he did not perceive the danger tliat awaited him. The 

 prince took a forrowful leave of him with thefe memorable 

 words, which a difalh-ons event mud foon have brought to 

 his recollection : " You are the bridge, Conrit P.gmont, by 

 which the Duke of Alva will pafs into the Netherlands, and 

 ho will no foontr pafi it than he will br^ak it down. You 

 will repent of defpiling the warning which I have given you, 

 but i dread that your repentance will be too late." One of 

 the duke's Hrll acts, after liis arrival, was to cafl both Count 

 Egmont and Count Horn into prifon ; and their iniprifon- 

 inent was foon followed by their trial, condemnation and 

 death. The Duchcls of Parma, after repeated folicitations, 

 obtained piTmifiion to quit the countiy, and (he left Brudels 

 in the beginning ot the year 156H, much regretted by all, 

 and paiticular'iy by the Proteftants, to \rhom her adminif- 

 tration appeared mild and gentle, compared with that which 

 they had rtafon to expect under the prcfent government. As 

 foon as fae was removed, the Duke of Alva fully difelofed 

 his commiirion, and his pov>-ers appeared to be much greater 

 than thofe of any former governor, and fuch as were fubver- 

 five of all the rights and privileges which Philip, as fove- 

 reign of the Low Countries, had at his inauguration folemnly 

 fworn to maintain. But the pope had previoufly granted him 

 a difpenfation from his oath, io that his mind was quieted 

 in every mcafure of defpotifm and cruelty, which he dictated 

 or fanClioned. Alva's commiffiou, befides the abfolute com- 

 mand of the army, comprehended the prefidency of the 

 three councils of ilate, of juftice, and of the finances, with 

 ample powers to puniHi or to pardon crimes of eveiy fort 

 at his own plcafure. Allowing to the Reformers a month for 

 leaving the country, he iiTued fccrtt orders to the Inquilition 

 to proceed im.mediately in the moil rigorous execution of their 

 editis. For their alTiilance and encouragement he iuftituted a 

 council of 12 perfons, moft of whom were Spaniards, and of 

 whieh the duke was the prefident, called the Council of Tu- 

 mults; but by the Flemings,juftly denominated "the Council 

 of Blood." Thus fortified and aided, the duke proceeded to 

 build citadels at Antwerp, and in feveral other cities, and to 

 fpread his troops over the country in fuch formidable bodies, 

 that the people, who could not endure their oppvefTion and 

 rapacity, either forfook their habitations, or abandoned 

 themfelves to dcfpair. Above 20,000 perfons cfcaped at 

 this time into France, Enghind, and the Proteftant provinces 

 of Germany. Some were feized in their flight, and innocent 

 perfons were overwhelmed with horror at the fight of the 

 tlreadfiil punifliments infliltcd on thofe who were charged 

 with guilt ; and all concurred in lamenting that a countr)-, 

 once eminently flourifhing and diUir.guilhed by the inildnefs 

 of its government and the happinefs of the people, fliould 

 now preTeiil to viCiV no other object befides coiihfcations, 



A L V 



impriforui r:,t, aiKi blood. In the fpirr of a frw monthe 

 more thjn iSoo perfons fufTend by the hand cf the e»e- 

 cutfcner ; and yet Alva's thitll of blood wji i.nt fntinttd. 



Like a head of prev, t!ii<! favag;e tyrant fc»rehid cvtiy fc- 

 crct rccefs; and his foldicrj. acconipamcd by tlir mcjuifinn', 

 were let loofc amoig the Pi-oteftantK, who were !«i/id 111 

 the middle of thr niphi in thc^r bedn, rnd from ther<e 

 '^'^f^tT^'*' '" prifons anit dungeon?. Tliofe who had brni 

 only once piefeTit in I'rotrilanf afTeniblies, although thev de- 

 clared their faith in the Catholic religion to be firm and iin- 

 Oiakcn, were hanged or drcwntd ; and thofe who pruftrted 

 theinlelves Protelbuts, or who rcfufcd to abiurc tl;clr reli- 

 gion, were put to the nick, in order to make tlirm difcover 

 their affiiciates ; they wire then dragged by horfcs to the 

 pl.ice of execution, and their bodies hiing comniitlid to the 

 flames, their fuffciiiigs were prolougid with ingenious criieU*. 

 To prevent them from bearing ttfliinopy in the midft of their 

 torments to the truth of their profefTion, their tongiien were 

 firil fcorched with a glowing iron, and then fcrcwed into a 

 machine, contrived on purpofe to produce the mull excnici- 

 ^iug pain. It is, indeed, fhockiiig to recount the numbcrU-fn 

 iullanees of inhuman cruelty peqielratcd by Alva and hit. rf- 

 fociates ; efpccially when we confidcr that the ur.kappy 

 viftims were gentrally periiins of the ivo'X inollciifive cha- 

 racter, who, having imbibed the principles of the Refonna- 

 tion, were too honefl to difgnife tlieir leiitinicnts ; or, to fav 

 the word of them, who had been betrayed into indifertlion* 

 by their zeal for propagating trulln, which they believed to 

 be of the higheU importance to the gl'>n' of Ciod, and (he 

 happinefs of mankind The hearts of ever, fomc mcir.bcrj of 

 the " bloody council" revolted againd the repeated ^i^s of 

 cruelty to which their fanftion was required ; fome of them 

 fought a difmifllon, others abfented themfelves, and of the 

 1 2 that compofed the council, there were feldom ir.orc than 

 three or four prcfent. At this time the magidrates of Ant- 

 werp, whofe behaviour had been v.iifonnly obfeqi;iou» da- 

 ring the whole of Alva's adminidration, prcfented an hurrbie 

 petition on behalf of fome citizens whom the inquifitort. had 

 impriloned. To this petition Alva returned a haughtv re- 

 ply, reproaching them for folly and prelumption in applying 

 on behalf of heretics ; threatening thim with tok:T,j of hij 

 dilpleafu.'e ; and even alFuring them, that if they prrf.ded in 

 fuch meafures, lie would hang them all, for r.n example, to 

 deter others from fimilar prefumption. Some of the catho- 

 lic nobility alfo remondrated to the king againfl the gf ver- 

 nor's barbarity, and the pope exhorted him to greater mode- 

 ration. But the inquiliiors enforced the ccu'.nkl of Vargas, 

 who recommended perfeverance, and Philip turned a deaf 

 ear to the remondrance which had been iride !o him ; and 

 the perfecutions were continued with the fame unrelenting 

 fur)-. The people were Vcduced to circumdar.cef of extreme 

 didrefs, and they had no refnurce left but in the wifdom, pub- 

 lic fpirit, and extenfive in.Huenrc of the pri'irr of Grange. 

 Alva, foon after his arrival in the Netherlands, cited prince 

 William to a])pear before him, but he was too fagacious to 

 be deluded by promifes of lenity, and refufed to oSty the ci- 

 tation, adigning, at the fame time, a variety of reafons for his 

 conduft. Several other noblemen were cited to anfwer for 

 their coiiduft ; and, upon their refufa', Alva pronounced fen- 

 tence againd them, and conlifcated their cflefts. The Prince 

 of Orange at length had reconrfcto armi ; but whild hewa.s 

 em])loyed in making levies, his brother Count i rwis arrivcil 

 with an army in the Nethciland>, and rrfolvtd to make his 

 fird attempt on Groningen. The SpaniJh aiTny under Connt 

 Arembeig was fent to oppofe him, but Lewis wa-) vi^oriouii. 

 However, Alva loon marched again'l him with a fuperior armv, 

 ajid totally defeated him. The Prince of Ota.igc prepared 



for 



